.Rolls out 1000 tankers to distribute fuel nationwide
Moved by the grave situation of the country ahead of May 29 political power handover, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Capital Oil and Gas Industry Limited, Ifeanyi Ubah, has ordered immediate resumption of loading and distribution of the premium motor spirit (pms) otherwise called fuel to all parts of the country.
Ubah, on Sunday afternoon, rolled out over 1000 tankers laden with fuel to distribute to both Southern and Northern parts of the country, saying his company cannot afford to be part of the sabotage against our fatherland at a time when the attendees of the historic handover of power to the incoming government is around the corner.
With both officers of the armed forces (the army and the police) attached to the tanker drivers to their destinations, Ubah hopes to end fuel scarcity which has crippled the nation in the last one week.
Briefing newsmen in Lagos, the Capital Oil boss said “we are constrained at this point and have decided that two wrongs cannot make a right. We will not be part of this sabotage against our fatherland. Therefore from this minute, we shall take the risk of opening our facilities and commence swift loading and distribution of petroleum products nationwide,” Ubah said.
With over 400 trucks of petroleum products, Ubah said the company’s facility has the capacity to load over 13 million litres of petroleum products before dawn.
He called other petroleum marketers to tow his gesture and save the nation from impending economic and social crisis and imminent collapse.
He also called on the striking bodies to call off the strike insisting that the best way to resolve all the issues at stake is dialogue pointing out that he has watched with so much pain the suffering and hardship citizens of the country had been subjected to as result of the scarcity of petrol,diesel, aviation fuel, and household kerosene.
He expressed gratitude to NNPC and the PPMC for ensuring availability of petroleum products enough to last the country for 15 days.
He said, “ current PPMC stock level in our storage tanks and buffer stock on vessels awaiting discharge at our jetty is capable of meeting the nation’s need for 15 days.”
Ubah urged Nigerians to support government on deregulation of the industry saying deregulation holds the key to eliminating corruption, enhancing supply at competitive prices, as well as ensuring constant supply of the products.
On the Mile 2 – Apapa, Ubah said that in the coming weeks, he hoped to engage the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Lagos State government and other stakeholders to optimally utilise Capital Oil and Gas truck park facilities with the capacity to accommodate over 1, 100 trucks per time and 5, 000 on a shift basis to decongest the highway.
In the past one week, transporters of petroleum products (members of NUPENG and PENGASSAN) have been on strike over unpaid debts owed them by some independent marketers who are in turn being owed some petroleum subsidy funds by the government.
But with the intervention of Capital Oil and Gas, it is hoped that the suffering and hardship citizens of the country have been subjected to in the last one week is gradually coming to an end.
